What is a Doula's role on a your birth team?

What is a doula? Why should they be considered for your birth team? What is their role? Your birth is your birth, different than any other birth. Be informed so you can be in charge of your own birth. I sent some questions that most mothers have when thinking through if a Doula is right for them to a dear family member, Melina S. Jacobson, who is a ProDoula Certified Labor Doula and ProDoula Certified Postpartum & Infant Care Doula. Keep reading to learn more about what she had to say about the beauty of a Doula!

The work of a doula can be described as an act of service that upholds professional standards during the stages of birth and well into early parenthood through facilitating communication and non-judgmental support. It appears that everyone has an opinion on how pregnancy should go, except for the doula. Doula work is highly specialized due to the dynamic nature of birth and individual client choices. A doula provides clarity of information and options for their client to ensure the client has a voice in what is best for them. As a result, it is imperative that a doula remain perceptive at all times to the needs of the client through education, validation, and compassion. 

As a doula, a vital role during pregnancy is optimizing communication. An excellent resource is the William Marston DISC personality assessment to evaluate client personality type. For example, mothers that have a dominant personality type need to feel in control and a major part in the decision-making process. Influential mothers require social interaction, affirmation and praise, and connection. Security oriented mothers align more with a patient, calm, and consistent approach, while compliant mothers thrive on planning, systemic structure, and organization. Spending quality time during the stages of pregnancy allows for the opportunity to get to know your client and how to best serve them. One of my favorite aspects of pregnancy is the educational component. This time allows for an overview of discussions and questions regarding birth philosophies, birth plans with possible interventions, significance of utilizing the senses during labor, partner support, stages of labor, and various options in newborn practices and procedures.

Once efficient and effective communication is established, my role becomes supportive and therapeutic. Every birth can and will present differently, even for a client with previous birth experiences. During the three stages of labor (early, active, and transitional), I provide verbal communication and comfort measures. Early labor is an excellent time to encourage distractions of walking or resting, good nutritional intake and hydration, and provide reassurance. Active labor typically calls for more emotional and physical support. My go-to comfort measures include slower and deep breathing techniques, position change, counter-pressure, and relaxation tactics such as mediation and creating a tranquil environment with low light, music, and essential oils, if allowed. The transitional stage in labor is generally the most emotionally and physically demanding stage, where doubts may arise due to pain or fear. Although possibly the hardest stage in labor, this is the shortest. From my experience, counter-pressure during contractions, assurance and verbal affirmations, and face-to-face eye contact are key to enhancing the birthing experience. When the cervix is fully dilated and it is time to push, my role shifts to being mindful of the client's autonomy, along with capability prompting and instinct assurance. Finally, the "Golden Hour" is the perfect time to present skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding (if elected), and provide space for the client, baby or babies, and/or partner.

As a postpartum doula, my role is to provide non-judgemental support based on the chosen parenting philosophy, feeding preferences, recovery assistance, and help with daily household chores. I have experience in both attachment and scheduled parenting, breastfeeding, pumping, and formula feeding, vaginal and cesarean birth recovery, and laundry, cooking, and cleaning. Essentially, postpartum doula work is professional assistance in whatever the client needs. It is amazing what quality sleep, choice validation, a clean living space, and a warm chicken casserole in the oven can do for a mother. Some postpartum doulas will offer overnight work to care for the newborn(s) during the late hours when feedings are frequent and parental sleep is required. 

One thing that I have found moms-to-be may overlook is that their partners may not be 100% involved, supportive, and calm during labor. In my experience, I have witnessed the most loving, gentle, and kind partners tending to retract or freeze, especially during the active and transitional stages of labor. For the partner, it is extremely challenging to see someone they love and care for deeply in pain and/or in any form of distress; By no means is this an indicator that their partner will not be a good parent, rather this specific partner reaction is normal and the majority of time, is to be expected. As a doula, it is important to shed light on this potential scenario as soon as possible and have a plan in place, if the situation may arise. 

The best advice I could give new moms is the reminder that they have full autonomy over their bodies and what choice is optimal for them, is optimal for their baby. As a doula, our concern and focus is always the wellbeing of the mother. 

The best advice I could give new dads would be to remind them that they are a key team player in this new dynamic and very much a part of the development and wellbeing of the mother and baby. Often, new fathers can feel isolated and not able to directly contribute much, especially in a family of three. Through active listening, communication, and patience, new fathers can be an essential teammate in their family's success.